Hundreds Arrested at IMF Protests in Washington

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, September 28, 2002

Hundreds Arrested at IMF Protests in Washington

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Streets of Washington became the site of clashes Friday between police in riot gear and protesters targeting at the meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. More than 600 people had been taken into custody by afternoon.

Around 2,000 demonstrators, many of whom waved black flags and wore bandannas over their faces, scattered through the streets to protest what they see as unfair IMF policies that benefit wealthier nations at the expense of developing nations. Police foiled their efforts to block traffic in the nation's capital.

Most of those arrested were charged with blocking sidewalks or entrances and parading without a permit. Some protesters threw rocks and smoke bombs in clashes with police, while others tried to chain themselves together.

About 65 people were charged with rioting after they broke windows at a Citibank office and tossed smoke bombs in Washington's business district. At a park only a few blocks from the White House, police arrested about 200 protesters and loaded them onto 10 buses.

The demonstrators were targeting at the meetings of the Group of Seven industrialized nations on Friday and of the IMF and the World Bank on Saturday.

However, there were only a few protesters on streets around theIMF and World Bank buildings, where they had supposed to gather. Police successfully blocked them several blocks away in all directions.

"You have the power to cut American farm subsidies," two protesters on a sidewalk shouted to delegates walking in and out of the main entrance to the meetings.

"American and European farm subsidies are not fair to developing nations," Grant Cavanaugh, a freshman at Georgetown University, told Xinhua. He was holding a placard saying "Free trade doesn't equal to farm subsidies."

Greg Booth, who is from the same university as Cavanaugh, shouted to two delegates getting off from a limousine: "There is no place in free trade for farm subsidies."

"We agree with you," said a female delegate, smiling.

Facing the two protesters across the street stood a line of riot police, some of whom came from the states of Massachusetts and Alabama, behind a fence around the IMF and World Bank buildings.

Cavanaugh said there would a larger demonstration on Saturday. He estimated that about 10,000 demonstrators would join.

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